The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine corresponding to an electronic money system using a non-contact IC card available in, for example, transportation systems. Such a non-contact IC card has no built-in battery, and is operated through a power supply by electric wave, so it is environmentally sound and have a desired shape. In a transportation field, a method of specifying a destination and then holding the card to an antenna section to settle the account has been employed. In addition, electronic money in the transportation systems is expected to be used for shopping.
Automatic vending machines were initially invented for single-price commodities and subsequently developed for multiple-price commodities. Thus, an operation method starting with inputting of cash is used for all automatic vending machines. When a user first inputs coins or bills, a sale enabling lamp in a commodity selection button section lights up depending on the amount of money input. The lighting commodity selection button is then operated to transfer a corresponding commodity. In addition, as conventional card-compatible automatic vending machines, cards with contact type are generally used, so that a card insertion method is employed.
A first problem with a structure of a prepaid settlement card system utilizing non-contact IC cards is when a power is supplied to the card. In an automated ticket gate, it is installed in a limited site within a station yard and most of people passing through the automated ticket gate intend to use a train, so that an electric wave for a power supply is always output. Since, however, automatic vending machines are installed in various sites where people can purchase commodities easily, there is a demand for an automatic vending machine that a power-supplying electric wave is provided when a person for purchasing a commodity or goods stands in front of the machine and the commodity is surely supplied by reliably performing a commodity selecting operation.
In addition, when a card is repeatedly provided to the machine, a user may fear that a corresponding amount is being subtracted from the card multiple times. As a result, users may become hesitant about using the card. Furthermore, since the non-contact IC card is widely available as electronic money, crimes, such as theft, forgery or alteration may occur, requiring the development of secure automatic vending machines. Moreover, since the non-contact IC card will not become widespread immediately, an automatic vending machine is desired to be operated both by cash or contact cards as in the prior art, and by the no-contact cards.
As a prior art, there is a control method for subtracting a fixed amount from an IC card when an automatic vending machine deals with a single commodity price, and when the automatic vending machine deals with multiple commodities with different prices, the amount of money contained in the IC card is transferred to a main control section of the automatic vending machine in such a manner as to temporarily deposit the money, so that the IC card is settled after the commodity has been ejected (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open (KOKAI) No. 6-176251). If an attempt is made to apply this control method to the non-contact IC card settled by holding it to the machine, the card must be held up to the machine twice in the case of multiple commodity prices, that is, before and after selection of the commodity. As a result, users may reject the use of the card. Additionally, since the amount of money in the card is transmitted to the main control section of the automatic vending machine and subsequently returned to the card for settlement, a security problem, i.e. data alteration is likely to occur.
Several methods have been proposed to avoid holding the non-contact card up to the machine twice to settle the account. One such method includes providing an antenna for the non-contact cards in a commodity exhibiting section for sale, wherein the commodity selection and card settlement are simultaneously carried out when the card is held to the antenna (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open (KOKAI) No. 10-198847). This control method does not handle both non-contact cards and cashes, and requires the antenna section for each of the commodities to be sold, resulting in a complicated structure and high costs. Although holding the card to the commodity exhibiting section is advantageous to users when a small number of commodities are arranged with large spaces and sold, this operation is difficult for modern automatic vending machines, which have a large number of commodities and the arrangement of the commodities can be freely set.
As another conventional method, there is automatic vending machine usage-detecting means for detecting the presence of a user, transmitting a provisional payment signal to the main control section having an amount of money set therein that is equal to or larger than the highest selling price of the commodities to be sold, in order to enable selection of a commodity, and subtracting the selling price from the card when the card is held to a reader writer after the commodity has been selected (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open (KOKAI) No. 10-232965). With this control system, it is difficult to handle the xe2x80x9cprovisional signalxe2x80x9d thereby requiring a complicated structure for the main control section, and the automatic vending machine is activated whenever any person, consumer or otherwise, simple stands in front of the machine. It is contemplated that the above-described problems may be solved by using an insertion card reader, but this eliminates the advantages of the non-contact card.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic vending machine that can be used by users with non-contact cards available for traffic or transportation systems with the same level of ease in using an automated ticket gate, and that can also be used by cash users, wherein in the automatic vending machine, the user can select a commodity and settle the account by simple holding a non-contact IC card once to one section of the machine.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic vending machine that does not require a number of antennas to be increased or reduced depending on whether the machine will handle multiple commodity prices or a single commodity price, and that is actuated only when a person for purchasing a commodity operates the machine.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a control device for an automatic vending machine that requires a minimum amount of signals, that is, only amount data to be transmitted to and from a main control section in order to prevent the alteration and forgery of data, and that can be implemented without the need to substantially change an existing automatic vending machine control device.
To attain the above objects, according to the present invention, an automatic vending machine comprises commodity-selecting means for selecting a commodity to be purchased, means for paying money required to purchase the commodity, commodity-transfer means for transferring the selected commodity, and a main control section. The automatic vending machine includes one antenna section for communication by electric waves, means for activating a non-contact IC card, means for activating a mode for displaying the balance of the card, and a balance display, in order to allow commodities to also be purchased by using the non-contact IC card.
The antenna section, a sale-start button acting as the means for activating the card, a balance-display button acting as the means for activating the mode for displaying the balance of the card, the balance display, and a control section for controlling the components are configured into one card unit, and communication between the card unit and the main control section is controlled by using only a sale-mode-activating signal, selling amount data on a selected commodity, and a sale permission or prohibition signal acting as an operation result signal from the card.
A sale-start button acting as the means for activating the non-contact IC card, a balance-display button acting as the means for activating the mode for displaying the balance of the card, the balance display, and a control section for controlling the components may be configured into a card unit, and the antenna section and a control section therefor are configured into a reader writer. Communication between the card unit and the main control section is controlled by using only a sale-mode-activating signal, selling amount data on a selected commodity, and a sale permission or prohibition signal acting as an operation result signal from the card.
The control section of the card unit is connected to a central computer via a communication interface, and the control section of the card unit has a built-in block for a secure application module acting as an encryption processing section for communication with the non-contact IC card and the central computer device.
Display means for displaying the balance of the card may be provided in the card unit separately from a display section of an automatic vending machine""s main body.
The sale-start button and the balance-display button are operated to start supplying power to the non-contact card from the card unit electric waves. The sale-start button is operated to enable both a sequential operation comprising a first operation of commodity selection executed by the commodity-selecting means and a second operation of money payment executed by means for paying money, and a sequential operation comprising a first operation of money payment and a second operation of commodity selection.